Tidal save

This heart-wrenching true story is based on one family’s fight for survival in the 2004 tsunami. Its violent rendition of the catastrophe leaves the audience feeling slightly seasick and the family dispersed around an apocalyptic scene sprawled over a luxury Thai resort. Despite the abundance of gory injuries, Bayona stays focused on the mental turmoil involved in surviving trauma, ably assisted in particular by an excellent performance from Ewan McGregor.

The Impossible | Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona (Spain 2012) with Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts. Starts January 31